Delphinium orientale J. Gay (syn.: Consolida hispanica (Costa) Greuter et Burdet) (Medit., C As.) – A rare and ephemeral alien. It was probably first documented from near grain mills in Wilsele in 1893 (Verloove 2006) and one year later, in 1894, from Awan (Lambinon 1980). These days D. orientale is seen most years in port areas, especially those of Ghent and, to some lesser extent, Antwerp. Most records, especially recent ones, are doubtlessly associated with grain importation. Perhaps some refer to garden escapes although D. orientale is much less frequently grown as an ornamental than the similar D. ajacis. Compared with the latter, D. orientale has violet-purplish flowers with a much shorter spur ca. 6-10 mm long (vs. bluish flowers with spur ca. 12-18 mm long).
Selected literature:
Beckman I. (1928) Kreuzungsuntersuchungen an Delphinium orientale. Heriditas 11: 107-128.
Lambinon J. (1980) L’herbier Hélène de Luesemans: quelques récoltes botaniques intéressantes de la région d’Aywaille (province de Liège) il y a trois quarts de siècle. Nat. Mosana 33(4): 171-186.
Verloove F. (2006) Catalogue of neophytes in Belgium (1800-2005). Scripta Botanica Belgica 39: 89 p. [available online at: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/tabel_2.pdf]